10 Things to check before your Festive Season Road Trip

Welcome to our CAR CARE SAFETY series!  We will be sharing some quick DIY articles to help you get on the road quickly and keep you and your family safe while you are on holiday!

Before you start your journey, our checklist starts with an under bonnet check:

1. Check fluid levels

This is a concern as most motorists don’t check these as often as should be done. You’ll need to check your water, oil and coolant levels. Last but not least, check the brake fluid.

Should your fluid levels be low, check for any leaks? Replenish to ensure that your car is safe to drive.

It’s also advisable to check for any leaks from various components and hoses underneath your car. If you see any oil, coolant spots or shiny texture liquids on the ground, have one of our mechanics come to you to do a diagnostic test and attend.

2. Check Belts and Hoses

You don’t want to get stuck from broken or damaged hoses, as this can cause engine overheating, loss of power steering and loss of electrical charging. This could lead to hours, even days out of your trip expensive repairs that would ruin your holiday!

Road trips may take you through unfamiliar regions of the country, which will have different weather and night driving conditions. So next to check are:

3. Internal and External mirrors

We all know how hectic the traffic gets during this time to year. So you have to be able to clearly see your surroundings! Make sure that your rearview mirror, external mirrors and blind-spot mirrors are positioned correctly for the driver and are not obstructed by anything!

4. Lights

Check that all your lights are working correctly! This is a simple but very important test!

Headlights (including bright beam bulbs); Fog lights; Indicators and Brake lights.

5. Wipers

When using your wipers in misty or rainy conditions, they should not leave streaks on your windshield that will impair your vision of the road. Use a windscreen washer and check if your wipers are functioning properly.

If not, replace it before setting off on your trip! Click here to check out our DIY article on how to change your Windscreen Blades! (insert hyperlink)

6. Steering

This check should be done while driving. Steering feeling wobbly or has vibrations? This could be a number of things, from worn tyres or brake, tyre alignment being out, worn brakes or issues in the steering rack.

You can get this checked by one of our trusted mechanics before you set off.

7. Wheels

Your tyres are extremely important as this is what connects the rest of the car to the road. So to ensure safe driving, your tyres need to:

• Be inflated to the right pressure (specific to your vehicle, tyre size and weight of the car after being loaded)
• Do NOT over inflate or under inflate to avoid side and edge wear
• Tyre Thread depth – check that it is a minimum of 5mm thick

NB: Make sure you have a spare wheel! And that it is in good condition and inflated to correct pressure as well.

8. Battery Inspection

Ensure that the battery connection points and cables are all tightly fastened. Also, check that the battery voltage is still at an optimal level.

Should you see any warning signs such as dimming of lights while idling or clicking when starting ignition, it may be time to get the battery changed.

9. Brakes

To check brake pad wear without removing the tire, look at your brake pads through the spaces between the wheel’s spokes.

The outside pad will be pressed against a metal disc. Generally, there should be at least 50 mm of the pad.

If you see less than 50 mm of the pad, you may want to have your brake pads inspected or replaced.

For further insight, click here to read our article on how to identify some signs to look for to know when to replace brake pads.

10. You!

As the driver, you are carrying precious cargo! So be responsible for the safe handling of the vehicle!

• Get enough rest and Take breaks every 2 hrs.
• Don’t drink or text and drive!
• Don’t speed!

We hope this series keeps you safe this holiday season! If you need assistance just click here for our special on Saftey Inspection (*valid until 31st December 2019) and a mechanic will come to you.